Llinks Law Offices announced that Tracy Chen and Clarence Chung have been elected as partners, Wenjun Cai, Joyce Zhang, Jill Lu, Fiona Zhu, Rose Cai, Yan Tao, Jason Zhang, Wenjie Xing, Liang Tao, and Nigel Zhu have been promoted as counsel since 1 April 2022.
Adhering to the concept of 'Act with United Strength and Joint Development', twelve promoted partners and counsel have won high recognition from clients and partners for their outstanding professional legal skills. The promotion will further strengthen Llinks' professional service capability in core areas, including banking and financial services, asset management, capital markets, corporate business, mergers and acquisitions, private equity /venture capital, compliance, dispute resolution and etc., adding new vitality and motivation for Llinks' sustainable development.
Wish them to make great achievements and grand plans in their future careers!
Partner
Tracy Chen
Shanghai Office, Banking and Financial Services Department
Practice Areas: Retail Funds, Asset Management and Establishment and M&A of Financial Institutions
Ms. Chen received her Bachelor's Degree of Law from Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, and her Master's Degree in Civil and Commercial Law from East China University of Political Science and Law. She joined Llinks Law Offices in July 2013.
Ms. Chen has extensive experience in the area of retail funds and other asset management. Ms. Chen has handled a wide variety of legal matters related to the establishment, share transfer, ESOP of fund management companies ("FMCs") and their subsidiaries as well as the application for retail fund management license. She has advised numerous retail fund managers in the areas of fund investment, operation, product design and corporate governance, etc. In addition, Ms. Chen has involved in the launch of more than hundreds of retail funds as a representative attorney. Ms. Chen is familiar with all legal aspects related to retail funds and private asset management business.
Clarence Chung
Shenzhen Office, Corporate Department
Practice Areas: Private Equity and Venture Capital, Capital Markets, Corporate and Commercial
Mr. Clarence Chung graduated from Peking University with a Bachelor Degree in Law. Clarence joined Llinks in May 2020. Before that, he had served in well-known law firms and one of the top internet companies in China.
Clarence has many years of experience in legal services, focusing on various types of projects in the field of investment and financing, capital markets and foreign direct investment, which involved a number of industries including technology, TMT, integrated circuit, real estate, healthcare, F&B, logistics and infrastructure. He has represented numerous high-profile investment institutions and fast-growing enterprises.
Clarence has accumulated extensive experience in fund-raising, investments, management and withdraws areas. He is good at assisting financial and strategic investors to realize their business objectives under the premise of controlling legal risks. He is also familiar with the various stages of development of startups and their possible legal problems to provide practical solutions.
Clarence has been named as 2022 Up & Rising Lawyer by CLECSS.
Counsels
Wenjun Cai
Shanghai Office, Dispute Resolution Department
Practice Areas: Dispute Resolution, Corporate and Commerce
Ms. Wenjun Cai graduated from Tsinghua University with an LL.B. degree in 2012. She has been awarded an LL.M. degree in International Commercial Law in 2013. She joined Llinks Law Offices in May 2014.
Ms. Cai is an outstanding dispute resolution lawyer, specializing in civil and commercial litigation and arbitration. She has rich experience in representing clients in financial sectors and foreign invested companies in various kinds of disputes. It is her expertise to deal with disputes relating to asset management, private funds, debt collection, international sale of goods, foreign investments and construction, through both litigation and alternative dispute resolution. Ms. Cai has assisted many financial institutions, including public and private funds, to deal with debt collection disputes arising from both equity and debt investments.
Ms. Cai also advises many well-known multi-national corporations, foreign invested companies, state-owned companies and private companies in real estate, construction, lease, manufacture, consumer goods and asset management sectors.
Joyce Zhang
Shanghai Office, Corporate Department
Practice Areas: Private Equity / Venture Capital, Mergers and Acquisitions, Fund Formation, Corporate and Foreign Direct Investment
Mrs. Joyce Zhang received her LL.B. degree from Koguan School of Law, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and her LL.M degree from the School of International Law, East China University of Political Science and Law. She joined Llinks Law Offices in July 2014.
Mrs. Zhang's practice focuses on private equity/venture capital, fund formation, mergers and acquisitions, corporate and foreign direct investment. She also advises and assists private growth company in their stock incentive plans and provides general corporate legal services. Mrs. Zhang has advised a wide-range of clients, including domestic and international investment funds, multinational companies, listed companies, start-ups and growth companies; which spread over a wide range of industries, including hi-tech, retail and consumer, healthcare, cultural media, and semi-conductor industry, etc.
Mrs. Zhang is a member of the Cultural Media Business Research Committee of Shanghai Bar Association.
Jill Lu
Shanghai Office, Banking and Financial Services Department
Practice Areas: Cross-border Asset Management, Private Funds, Financial Institutions
Ms. Jill Lu graduated from the University of International Business and Economics with an LL.B degree and obtained a Master's degree in Common Law from University of Hong Kong. She joined Llinks Law Offices in March 2015.
Ms. Lu has long dedicated to providing legal services relating to cross-border asset management, including Mutual Recognition of Funds ("MRF"), QDLP, QDIE, private fund service provider registration, establishment and merger. In addition, Ms. Lu has taken charge in the registration applications of 40 Mainland-Hong Kong mutual funds and provided them with compliance services.
Ms. Lu is well-acquainted with services in the field of cross-border asset management such as QDII, QFII/RQFII, Stock Connect, Bond Connect, etc., and has acted as the external counsel of many global asset management institutions on a long-term basis.
Fiona Zhu
Shanghai Office, Capital Markets Department
Practice Areas: Security Issuance and Equity Financing
Ms. Fiona Zhu obtained her B.A. degree from Sichuan University and her LL.M degree from East China University of Political Science and Law. She joined Llinks Law Offices in June 2015.
Ms. Zhu possesses rich knowledge and practical experience in Security Issuance and Equity Financing.
Within the area of Security Issuance, Ms. Zhu has provided legal services for a number of enterprises in relation to initial public offering (IPO), bond issuance, asset restructuring and private placement, which include the first IPO and the first major asset restructuring project in the STAR Market.
Within the area of Equity Financing, Ms. Zhu has provided legal services to prestigious international and domestic investment institutions and enterprises to be listed on equity investment and equity financing.
Besides, Ms. Zhu has represented several enterprises in dealing with daily legal issues.
Rose Cai
Shanghai Office, Capital Markets Department
Practice Areas: Securities Issuance / Corporate Finance, Mergers and Acquisitions, Restructuring, Corporate and Commercial
Ms Rose Cai graduated from East China University of Political Science and Law with a Bachelor of Science degree and a master's degree in civil and commercial law. Ms. Cai joined Llinks in July 2015.
Ms. Cai is experienced in Securities Issuance, Mergers and Acquisitions, and Corporate Restructuring.
In the areas of Securities Issuance, Ms. Cai has provided legal services to a number of enterprises viz. innovative and new energy enterprises in relation to Initial Public Offering, Convertible Bonds Public Issuance, Private Placement, and Assets Restructuring.
In the areas of M&A and corporate restructuring, Ms. Cai is dedicated to providing professional legal services to a number of listing companies and investment institutions on industrial investment, financial investment, mergers, acquisitions, and corporate restructuring.
In the area of corporate and commercial law, Ms. Cai has represented several enterprises (including listed companies, state-owned enterprises, private companies and private fund) in dealing with legal issues on a daily basis.
Yan Tao
Shanghai Office, Banking and Financial Services Department
Practice Areas: Private Funds, Asset Management and Financial Institutions
Ms. Yan Tao received her Bachelor's Degree in Law from Southeast University, and her Master's Degree in Law from Nanjing University. She joined Llinks Law Offices in August 2015.
Ms. Tao has focused her practice around securities investment funds and other asset management businesses, specializing in providing the legal services with private fund managers ("PFM") relating to the registration with AMAC, product design, fundraising, fund investment and operation, personnel management and compliance health check. She has extensive experience in the area of private funds and private asset management schemes, and has involved in the project for the establishment of the first cross-strait joint venture securities company.
In addition, Ms. Tao has rich experience in the field of cross-border asset management. Ms. Tao has provided legal services for several internationally renowned financial institutions to carry out private securities fund management business and QDLP business in China, and participated in some projects for the establishment and licensing of the WFOE retail fund management companies.
Jason Zhang
Shanghai, Dispute Resolution Department
Practice Area: Dispute Resolution
Mr. Zhang obtained a B.S degree and an LL.M. degree from Fudan University. He joined Llinks in July 2016.
In the commercial area, Mr Zhang has represented financial institutions, foreign invested enterprises, state-owned enterprises and private companies in hundreds of litigation and arbitration cases. He is especially skilled at resolving disputes regarding asset management contracts, debt collection and redemption right of financial institution, corporate governance and international trade.
Mr. Zhang has represented financial institutions of all types to resolve nearly 100 dispute resolution cases with investors arising from asset management contracts and fund contracts before PRC courts at different levels in different provinces and different arbitration commissions. Thus, he is experienced in handling investor disputes over various financial products, including securities, bonds and private placement. He also has wide experience in resolving debt collection disputes, including disputes over breach of all sorts of bonds, pledge-style securities repurchase, pledge-style bond repurchase, pledge-style usufruct repurchase and trust loans. The accumulative amount of the subject matter involved in these cases mentioned above has exceeded RMB 10 billion.
Wenjie Xing
Beijing Office, Banking and Financial Services Department
Practice Areas: Insurance, Asset Management, Private Equity Investment
Ms. Xing received her LL.B. degree and Bachelor's degree in English from Southwest University of Political Science and Law and LL.M. degree from China University of Political Science and Law. Ms. Xing joined Llinks in March 2017. Prior to joining Llinks, Ms. Xing worked as an in-house legal counsel for a well-known insurance company.
Ms. Xing has represented a number of domestic insurance institutions to invest in domestic and overseas private equity funds, S funds, real estate funds, venture capital funds, and mezzanine funds initiated and established by a number of well-known private equity investment funds managers. At the same time, Ms. Xing also provides full legal services for a number of insurance funds direct equity investment projects and market-oriented debt-equity investment projects.
Ms. Xing has organized and successfully registered a number of infrastructure and real estate debt investment plans and equity investment plans, and provided whole-process legal services for insurance funds to invest in a number of trust plans, initiate and set up asset-backed plans and portfolio insurance asset management products. In addition, Ms. Xing provides perennial legal services for dozens of insurance companies, insurance asset management companies, securities asset management companies, debt-to-equity implementation institutions and other financial institutions.
Ms. Xing has been named as one of "LEGALBAND 2020 China 30 under 30" by the LEGALBAND thanks to her expertise.
Liang Tao
Shanghai Office, Corporate Department
Practice Areas: Private Equity / Venture Capital, Mergers and Acquisitions, FDI and General Corporate
Mr. Liang Tao obtained his LLB and LLM from Fudan University School of Law. Mr. Tao joined Llinks Law Offices in March 2018 based in Llinks' Shanghai office. Prior to joining the firm, he has worked in the Shanghai office of a famous international law firm for five years.
In the field of private equity financing, Mr. Tao has carried out investment projects on behalf of many well-known private equity investment funds and has also conducted equity financing transactions on behalf of well-known domestic companies. Such transaction structure involves different structural arrangements including VIE structure, red chip structure and domestic joint venture, and the project stage also covers all stages of enterprises from initial stage financing to Pre-IPO round financing. Among the above-mentioned projects, Mr. Tao is responsible for assisting clients in transaction structure design, legal due diligence, drafting and negotiation of transaction documents, and tracking of transaction closing procedure and post-closing obligations.
In the field of corporate M&A legal services, Mr. Tao also provides legal advice for Chinese and foreign companies on various M&A transactions, including cross-border M&A, equity sale and asset spin-off. In addition, Mr. Tao is also engaged in regular commercial and corporate businesses, including cross-border direct investment, joint ventures and strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring, corporate finance and compliance operations.
Nigel Zhu
Shanghai Office, Corporate Department
Practice Areas: Compliance (data and privacy, antitrust and anti-corruption), Corporate and Commerce, M&A, Cross-border Transactions, PE/VC
Mr. Nigel Zhu graduated from University of International Relations and Shanghai Jiao Tong University with an LLB degree and an LLM degree respectively. Mr. Zhu also obtained an LLM degree from the Law School of University of Wisconsin. Mr. Zhu joined Llinks Law Offices in March 2018.
Mr. Zhu is admitted to practice law in the People's Republic of China, as well as in the New York State of the USA. Prior to joining Llinks, Mr. Zhu worked at a reputable U.S. law firm for four years and represented multinational companies in data compliance, antitrust, M&A, and foreign investment cases. After joining Llinks, Mr. Zhu's primarily focuses on data compliance, antitrust and M&A.
Mr. Zhu has gained rich experience in cybersecurity and data compliance. The client Mr. Zhu represented include "data-heavy" companies such leading Internet companies and high-tech companies, as well as clients in traditional industries that proactively seek digital transformation, including SOEs, private companies and foreign companies in the fields of retail, auto, pharmaceuticals, finance, manufacturing, and energy. Mr. Zhu is capable of a wide variety of cybersecurity and data compliance services, including comprehensive cybersecurity assessment, digital marketing compliance, Internet-based products cybersecurity and data compliance, consumers personal data compliance, network architecture compliance, cyber security incident response, identification of critical information infrastructure and data cross-border transfer compliance.
Mr. Zhu has considerable experience in all sorts of antitrust legal services. The clients that he represented include the largest home decoration and furniture retail company, the largest food retailer, the largest new energy battery manufacturing company, and a leading new energy battery cathode material manufacturing company in China's market, as well as other state-owned enterprises, private enterprises and foreign invested enterprises spreading over retail and consumer, manufacturing, energy and high technology. In addition, Mr. Zhu specializes in providing clients with legal services on antitrust compliance analysis, establishment of antitrust compliance system, antitrust administrative investigation response, antitrust civil cases and administrative penalty decisions review and appeals.
